Hi All,
It has now been just over a week since the installer completed the set up and I started VaVa Vooming. I have quickly become a fanatical believer! Here are my impressions so far.
PROS
:
1) Absolutely FANTASTIC PQ compared to anything else out there. From the 65" Hitachi down to the 27" LCD, it simply looks great in both SD and HD.
2) Excellent program line-up overall. Yes, there are some SD channels I would like to see added but I am talking about the overall pacakage. When you consider that the E* AT60 package has 12 shopping channels and 14 public interest channels, the fact that some of the Vomm HD offerings are repetitive is a small price to pay. (FYI, I had AT160 but still prefer the Voom lineup).
3) Stable hardware. I have yet to reboot any of the STB's even once. With my E* 911's it was at least once per day.
4) Excellent OTA with a complete guide for the OTA channels. With E* I only saw a fraction of the OTA listings in the guide.
5) The friendliest CSR's I have ever come across. I called twice with questions. Even though these guys may be unemployed at any moment, they are all extremely friendly and helpful on the phone.
6) When you consider all of the premium channels that are included with VaVa Voom (including all of the HD variants) it is not inexpensive but is probably the best buy out there today (not counting limited duration offers from cable).
7) The added drama of watching the goings on at CVC.
7) The most HDTV period!
CONS:
1) The Electronic Program Guide could use some work. I would like to see the ability to have multiple "favorites" lists. Also I notice that if I am viewing listings for say 8PM it always shows things in blocks of an hour. Thus, if a show ends at 8:30, it will not show the two programs on the same row unless I scroll over.
2) Wish there were a "learning" function on the remote. The codes for my Ilo LCD do not appear to be built in which means I need two remotes for that TV.
3) Stretch modes within the STB would be nice. On the 911 I can easily "stretch" a 4:3 program with the push of one button.
4) No PPV movies.
For me, the pros far outweigh the cons. The only way I would go back to E* at this point is if they somehow merged with Voom.
I only hope that this dark cloud over VOOM's head is soon lifted and that my days as a subscriber continue for many years to come. I do believe that Voom has crossed the Tipping Point and will be a successful venture if the CVC board looks beyond the next quarter.
It has now been just over a week since the installer completed the set up and I started VaVa Vooming. I have quickly become a fanatical believer! Here are my impressions so far.
PROS
:1) Absolutely FANTASTIC PQ compared to anything else out there. From the 65" Hitachi down to the 27" LCD, it simply looks great in both SD and HD.
2) Excellent program line-up overall. Yes, there are some SD channels I would like to see added but I am talking about the overall pacakage. When you consider that the E* AT60 package has 12 shopping channels and 14 public interest channels, the fact that some of the Vomm HD offerings are repetitive is a small price to pay. (FYI, I had AT160 but still prefer the Voom lineup).
3) Stable hardware. I have yet to reboot any of the STB's even once. With my E* 911's it was at least once per day.
4) Excellent OTA with a complete guide for the OTA channels. With E* I only saw a fraction of the OTA listings in the guide.
5) The friendliest CSR's I have ever come across. I called twice with questions. Even though these guys may be unemployed at any moment, they are all extremely friendly and helpful on the phone.
6) When you consider all of the premium channels that are included with VaVa Voom (including all of the HD variants) it is not inexpensive but is probably the best buy out there today (not counting limited duration offers from cable).
7) The added drama of watching the goings on at CVC.
7) The most HDTV period!
CONS:
1) The Electronic Program Guide could use some work. I would like to see the ability to have multiple "favorites" lists. Also I notice that if I am viewing listings for say 8PM it always shows things in blocks of an hour. Thus, if a show ends at 8:30, it will not show the two programs on the same row unless I scroll over.
2) Wish there were a "learning" function on the remote. The codes for my Ilo LCD do not appear to be built in which means I need two remotes for that TV.
3) Stretch modes within the STB would be nice. On the 911 I can easily "stretch" a 4:3 program with the push of one button.
4) No PPV movies.
For me, the pros far outweigh the cons. The only way I would go back to E* at this point is if they somehow merged with Voom.
I only hope that this dark cloud over VOOM's head is soon lifted and that my days as a subscriber continue for many years to come. I do believe that Voom has crossed the Tipping Point and will be a successful venture if the CVC board looks beyond the next quarter.
